Friday, 10 April 2015

The Importance of 1:1 meetings with Skills for The Future trainees - Neil Stevenson, Project Manager

When
creating the training programme for the Oxford Skills for the Future trainees
it was recognised that arranging regular opportunities for the trainee to have
a 1:1 with myself as their Project Manager would enable the trainee to
update me with their progress and to talk about what they had been doing on
placement. In reality the 1:1s covered so much more, and reflecting on the
process I believe that they have been an integral part of the success of both the
trainees time here in Oxford and in their future careers.

Generally
the 1:1s have taken place once every fortnight, sometimes less so, other times
more regularly. They lasted approximately 1 hour and took place in any of the
following environments: a quiet space away from others, in museum galleries, or
over a coffee in a local café. Sometimes when space was difficult to find the
1:1s happened in office spaces where other members of staff were working. This
was not an ideal environment!

For
many trainees 1:1s were something new. Some of the trainees responded
positively to the opportunity of chatting to their line manager, for others it
took them longer to adjust, especially in feeling comfortable and confident
talking about themselves.

To ease
trainees into the 1:1s it was important to introduce and explain the process
and purpose of the meetings and how as their manager I was there to
listen, support, and advise. During the early 1:1s my role was to lead the
session, encouraging the trainee to engage with the process and to feel more
confident in shaping the meeting to meet their own needs. On average trainees
took between 6 weeks to 4 months to feel confident taking the lead in the 1:1s.

If
trainees had specific things they wanted to talk about in the 1:1s they were
asked to email me in advance. This gave me time to think about the things they
wanted to discuss and also ensured that I was in a position to support them in
the best possible way. If they were worried about finding work beyond the
traineeship it gave me time to carry out a job search for suitable positions. If
they were interested in developing particular skills and knowledge I was able
to use this time to speak with colleagues to find out if they were able to
support the trainee in gaining this knowledge, or if not then time for me to
search the internet for external training opportunities.

The
things covered in meetings varied hugely. Some of these included:

-Update
on placement progress, including what the trainees had been doing, who they had
been working with

-Reflecting on things
that had gone well and things that had been more challenging

The
following are a selection of quotes from trainees sharing their feelings about
the importance of 1:1s:

1:1s are useful for sharing ideas, asking
tricky questions concerning structuring a project and time management. They are
also really valuable in preparing for job applications, especially relating
practical experiences gained on the traineeship to skills required of a role.

Jenny

1:1s are the time we get to speak about
anything in regards to the traineeship with our Coordinator. Whether that is
just an update on what we are doing at our placements, to help with job
applications, or to just talk through a difficult situation we are experiencing.
They are a great way to keep the lines of communications open with our
Coordinator and a place that we can trust that what we share doesn't go beyond
our meeting, unless the Coordinator and trainee agree. Personally, I cannot
image the traineeship without them.

Corie

I am finding the 1:1s useful
throughout the traineeship, the nature of discussions changes in accordance
with what I’m learning. Reflection about my professional development and
planning for my future careers are integral parts of the traineeship and
normally I find both of these things difficult to do. At university I didn’t
have a tutor or mentor, so while I find the 1:1 meetings occasionally stressful
for a variety of reasons - reflecting on both positives and negatives of my
work and attempting to rationalise my ideas for the future – I can now see the
benefits of taking the time to talk with someone who has more experience and
can see the bigger picture of museum education.

Rachel

1:1s are really important as a chance to reflect on what we have
been doing and how we have felt about it, and also to plan for what we feel we
need to do more of as our traineeship progresses.We are able to get advice and feedback and
ask questions about anything we feel unsure about. They are also a chance for
us to get in depth mentoring on important aspects such as developing our final
projects, and starting to look for and apply for jobs in preparation for our
traineeships coming to an end.

Aisling

On reflection I feel very
positive having offered trainees 1:1 meetings. They provided an opportunity to
support the trainee individually rather than as part of a group, encouraged
them to reflect on their own progress and to identify their training needs, positively
challenged them to think about doing things in a different way even if it meant
taking a risk, and encouraged them to understand who they are as professionals
and what they have to offer the sector.

I hope a lasting legacy will
be that former trainees will remember how important 1:1s were to their own
development and therefore, when in a position to do so, offer them to their own
staff and trainees throughout their future careers.

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About Me

Oxford University Museums & Collections were awarded funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to provide training for 16 people interested in pursuing a career in museum education & outreach. So far 10 trainees have completed their training and have moved on to gain employment in the sector. Our final group of 6 trainees started their training in June 2014 and will finish in June 2015. During their time with us, trainees complete three placements in 3 of the following museums and collections: Ashmolean, Pitt Rivers, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Museum of the History of Science, Joint Museums Office, and the Botanic Garden & Harcourt Arboretum